Mathematics: a science for use

Die ganzen Zahlen hat der liebe Gott gemacht, alles andere ist Menschenwerk (God created the integers, all the rest is the work of man.) -- Leopold Kronecker, a mathematician

"There is only one nature - the division into science and engineering is a human imposition, not a natural one. Indeed, the division is a human failure; it reflects our limited capacity to comprehend the whole." -- Bill Wulf, a computer scientist (Someones claim this to be a quote of Sir William Cecil Dampier)

by Forrest Sheng Bao http://fsbao.net

I had a talk with some guys this weekend. They believed that science and engineering are different. Their argument was that when we do science, we do not think about its use whereas for engineering, we have a ``clear'' useful purpose to serve.

Well, then we should create a new word: mathematical engineer.

A large portion of math is developed from our desire to use in real problems.

Check these concepts below to see whether they are invented for use:

• decimal numbers?
• real numbers? 
• negative numbers? 
• imaginary numbers? 
• geometry? The word geometry means ``earth measurement.''
• the matrix?
• calculus? Calculus is a Latin word meaning pebble or stone used for counting.
• differential equations?

We ``engineered'' those concepts out. Engineering (and the money it can bring) is a big driven force  to the development of science, especially computer science.